The Vet Practice

By donating Blood!

That's right. Just as we humans can give blood to save the lives of others, so can your dog - if she's healthy and over 25kg.

Over the years we've had to call upon a few of our loyal donors ourselves to save the life of a critically ill or injured canine patient. Amongst these are our own personal dogs (that's them in the picture) and the occasional special volunteer donor dogs.

Having access to blood is vital to saving lives of dogs who may have lost blood due to trauma or develop life threatening anaemia from disease or rat poisoning.

What does it take to be a dog blood donor?

All potential dog blood donors need to be screened for suitability. Donor dogs need to be healthy - this is determined via a clinical examination and blood test.

They also need to be Heartworm free.

Dogs who pass the initial screening test are invited to become a blood donor.

Blood is collected from dogs (and other animals) in a similar way to human blood collection. Donor dogs must be fasted for a period of time before blood can be collected.

A small area around the neck (near the jugular vein) is clipped and disinfected. A needle which is attached to the blood collection bag is inserted and around 450mls of blood is then collected into this bag.

The whole process usually takes less than 10 minutes and won't cause any major discomfort for the donor.

The donor dog is then observed for a short time after the procedure to ensure there is no bleeding from the injection site.

Are there any side effects for the donor dog?

No. The procedure is very safe and the donated blood cells will be replaced by the bone marrow within a few days. The only recommendation would be to limit your dog's exercise for the few days following the procedure. After that, everything should be back to normal.

How can my dog become a donor?

You can find out more by visiting the University of Melbourne's Canine Blood Bank Donor Program or contact your local vet to see if your dog can become a volunteer donor for them.

Here are two of our own Donor Dogs - "Matilda" and "Freya". Both have given blood many times to needy patients

Sometimes the blood collected from the donor dog is used immediately to give to the patient. This is how we most often use our donor dogs. However if you donate blood for a Blood Bank, the blood is spun down into its components - red blood cells and plasma. The red blood cells can be stored for up to 6 weeks in a refrigerator while the plasma portion is frozen until it's needed.

So, if you have a happy and healthy 25kg+ dog and would like to help save another dog's life - ask your vet or visit Melbourne University's Canine Blood Bank information site.